A new species of the genus Lobus Martin (Diptera: Asilidae) from West Bengal, India

2018·1.6 MB·

by  A. Naskar

Far Eastern Entomologist
Number 367: 21-25 ISSN 1026-051X September 2018
https://doi.org/10.25221/fee.367.3
http/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0BED817D-F6F8-44AF-8035-F8489DEDB8D2

A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS LOBUS MARTIN (DIPTERA:
ASILIDAE) FROM WEST BENGAL, INDIA

A. Naskar1, *), A. Maity1), S. Homechaudhuri2), P. Parui1), D. Banerjee1)

1) Diptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, M Block, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053,
West Bengal, India. *Corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected]
2) Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 B.C. Road, Kolkata 700019, West
Bengal, India.
Summary. Lobus lineatus Naskar, Banerjee et Parui, sp. n. is described and illustrated
from Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. New species is similar to L. bandipurensis
Joseph et Parui, 1993 but differs from latter in bifurcated epandrium. A key to eight Indian
species of the genus Lobus Martin, 1972 is provided also.
Key words: Diptera, Asilidae, Leptogasterinae, taxonomy, new species, key, Asia.

А. Наскар, А. Майти, С. Хомечаудхури, П. Паруи, Д. Банерджии.
Новый вид рода Lobus Martin (Diptera: Asilidae) из Западной Бенгалии,
Индия // Дальневосточный энтомолог. 2018. N 367. С. 21-25.

Резюме. Из Дарджилинга (Индия: Западная Бенгалия) описан новый для науки вид
Lobus lineatus Naskar, Banerjee et Parui, sp. n. Новый вид сходен с L. bandipurensis Joseph
et Parui, 1993, но отличается от последнего раздвоенным гипандрием. Приведена опре-
делительная таблица 8 индийских видов рода Lobus Martin, 1972.

INTRODUCTION

Lobus Martin, 1972 currently includes 15 species (Pape & Thompson, 2018). Their
distribution is mainly restricted to the Oriental and Ethiopian regions, except for L. guineae
Martin, 1972, which is described from Australasian region. In the Oriental region, the genus
comprises of seven species; all were recorded from India (Joseph & Parui, 1993): two species
(L. himalayae and L. keralae) have been described by Martin (1972); other five species (L.
bandipurensis, L. evenhuisi, L. jairami, L. martini and L. pandai) have been discovered by
Joseph & Parui (1983; 1984; 1991; 1992; 1993; 1998). One new species of Lobus is
described and illustrated in present paper.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The material of the new species was originally collected from the then Darjeeling district
of West Bengal, presently situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, representing
an important part of Central Himalayan landscape. The specimen was studied under Leica

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EZ4 HD stereo zoom microscope and photograph was taken under Leica M205A Stereo zoom
microscope by using proprietary software of Leica application suite, V3.8.
For the present study classification scheme of Dikow (2009) was followed. Morpholo-
gical terminology follows Cumming & Wood (2009). Body length was measured from the
foremost protrusion of the face up to the apex of the terminalia. Wing length was measured
from the articulated base up to its apex. The terminalia of male was removed and macerated
in warm 10 % KOH solution and subsequently preserved in 70 % alcohol in microvials
pinned with the respective specimens, after the genital structures were examined in glycerol.
The holotype and paratypes of the new species are deposited in the National Zoological
collection of Zoological Survey of India (Head Quarters), Kolkata, West Bengal, India (NZC).

DESCRIPTION OF NEW SPECIES

Subfamily Leptogasterinae
Tribe Leptogasterini
Genus Lobus Martin, 1972

Lobus lineatus Naskar, Banerjee et Parui, sp. n.
Figs 1–10

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – male, India: West Bengal, Darjeeling, Sureil, 26.969o
N, 88.354o E, h~5048.3 ft, 11.X–31.X 1917, coll. N. Annandale. & F.H. Gravely; deposited
in NZC, Kolkata. Paratypes – 4 males, the same label as in holotype, deposited in NZC,
Kolkata.
DESCRIPTION. Male holotype. Body length 14.4 mm; wing length 8.7 mm (Fig. 1).
Head (Fig. 2). Eyes in the middle below antennae as wide as flagellomere, then gradually
broadening up to epistome bearing white tomentum; mystax brownish comprising of four
macrosetae; frons and vertex golden tomentose; ocellar tubercle brown; occiput dark brown,
bare. Antennae yellow, style as long as flagellomere I. Palpi linear, yellowish with
concolourous macrosetae. Proboscis light brown.
Thorax uniformly light brown, sides paler with yellow tomentum (Fig. 3). Episternum
and anepimeron golden pollinose, anepisternum brown pollinose; chaetotaxy: only intraalar
I. Scutellum brown tomentose with a row of six thin setae on posterior margin).
Legs uniformly brownish yellow except coxae and trochanters darker and bare. Fore tibia
with a row of fine macrosetae ventrally all over. Hind femur narrow at basal half, rest
swollen (Fig. 4). Hind tibia bears a comb of macrosetae ventrally almost on apical half. All
tarsal segments with a stout macrosetae except the apical one).
Wings (Fig. 5). Vein M1 narrowly sinuous; forking of the anterior branch of 3rd
longitudinal veins (R4) which end below wing tip.
Abdomen linear, uniformly brown each segment on posterior margin and bears a few
macrosetae laterally on posterior margin (Fig. 6).
Terminalia black with black setae. Epandrium bifurcate, upper arm curved and gradually
tapered towards apex, lower arm thumb shaped, lobos cone shaped, hypandrial apodemes
flat, proctiger broadened at apex (Figs 7–10).
DISTRIBUTION. India (West Bengal).
BIOLOGY. Unknown.
ETYMOLOGY. The new species is named after long cylindrical body, specifically with
respect to its typical abdominal shape and length.

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Figs. 1–4. Holotype male of Lobus lineatus sp. n. 1 – habitus; 2 – head, lateral view; 3 –
thorax, lateral view; 4 – hind leg, dorsal view. Aepm – anepimeron; Aeps – anepisternum;
Keps – kateepisternum; Lter – laterotergite; Me – meron; Pn – pronotum; Ps – pleural suture;
Ptn – postnotum; Ptpn – post pronotum; Sct – scutum; Sctl – scutellum.

DIAGNOSIS. New species fits with the genus Lobus in respect of the lobos, which is
cone-shaped here; the shape of antenna bearing the style projected from dorsal surface of
third antennal segments. Posterior margin of scutellum with weak setae and forking of the
anterior branch of 3rd longitudinal veins (R4) which end below wing tip.
New species most similar to L. bandipurensis in the general shape of the male terminalia
but distinctly differ from it in the details structures and also differs in other characters: large
size, coloration of wing uniformly yellowish and not infuscated; fore tibia bears a row of fine

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macrosetae ventrally wholly and hind tibia with a comb of macrosetae ventrally on apical
half but absent in the latter; and with only one intra-alar and no other setae on thorax. A key
to Indian species of Lobus modified and added after Joseph & Parui (1998) is given below.

Figs. 1–4. Holotype male of Lobus lineatus sp. n. 5 – wing; 6 – abdomen, lateral view; 7 –
terminalia, dorso-lateral view (showing epandrium and proctiger); 8 – the same, lateral view
(showing bifurcated epandrium and flat hypandrial apodeme); 9 – the same, dorsal view; 10 –
the same, ventral view. 1A – first anal cell; 2A – second anal cell; 3A – third anal cell; AT1–
AT8 – first–eight abdominal tergites; Cu2 – second branch of cubital vein; Ep – epandrium;
Hyp – hypandrial apodemes; Lo – lobos; M – medial cell; M1–M4 – first–fourth medial
veins; R1 – first radial vein; R2+3 – second and third redial vein joined together; R4 – fourth
radial vein; R4+5 – fourth and fifth radial vein joined together; R5 – fifth radial vein.

Key to Indian species of Lobus

1. Anterior legs uniformly yellowish .....…………………………………………………….. 2
– Anterior legs differently coloured ..………………………………………………………... 3
2. Hind femur reddish-brown at tip without any dark spot, hind tibia with a brown band at
apex, epandrium with only a few setae at basal region. (India: Uttarakhand) ……..……
.....…………………………………………………………….. L. himalayae Martin, 1972
– Hind femur with dark spot medially and basally, hind tibia without band, epandrium with
bristly setae all over. (India: Kerala) ....………………………… L. keralae Martin, 1972

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3. Epandrium almost straight and truncate at apex. (India: Kerala) ……………………....…
.………………………………………………………….. L. jairami Joseph et Parui, 1984
– Epandrium either boat shaped or bifurcated ....….………………………………………… 4
4. Epandrium boat shaped .......………………………………………………………………. 5
– Epandrium bifurcated. (India: West Bengal) .…………………………….. L. lineatus sp. n.
5. Wing with uniform infuscation .......…………………………………………………….… 6
– Wing without uniform infuscation ....………………………………………………..….…. 7
6. Fore femur pale yellow with black apex, mid femur black with narrowly pale yellow base
and sub apex, male terminalia yellowish-brown and black, proctiger dorsally straight and
ventrally curved inward. (India: Karnataka) ……………………..………………………
...………………………………………………… L. bandipurensis Joseph et Parui, 1993
– Fore and mid femora dark borwn with basal and apical yellowish-brown marks, male
terminalia black, proctiger conically formed. (India: Tamil Nadu) ………..……........… .
.………………………………………………………... L. evenhuisi Joseph et Parui, 1991
7. Lobos gradually narrowing towards apex, wing pale brown basally and clear distally.
(India: Telangana) ....…………..………….…………...... L. pandai Joseph et Parui, 1998
Lobos uniformly broad, wing brown tinged, anterior half darker than posterior half. (India:
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala) .……………………………......L. martini Joseph et Parui, 1983

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are grateful to Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director, Mr. K. C. Gopi, Scientist-F,
Additional Director and Dr. C. Raghunathan, Divisional-in-Charge of Entomology Division
‘B’, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. Authors are also grateful to Miss Garima Hore, for
helping to capture images.
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